They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and there are certainly times that this is true. Unfortunately, this catchy phrase can sometimes downplay the importance of words. You may not be able to adequately capture beauty or awe with words alone, but a picture is a more substitute for words when comfort or wisdom is needed.
Proverbs 12:25 pointedly makes it clear the positive impact that the right words can have. It states, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad” Of course if we want our words to make others glad, we have to know how to bring a “good word.” To do so, three things are needed
Know the Word
If we want to bring people a good word, we have to know the source of all good words – the Word of God. Any time we can bring the Truth of Scripture into a situation, we can be assured that the words we speak will have an impact. In order to do this easily and naturally, we need to know what the Bible says. It will be difficult to use Scripture to bring others comfort, or to help them see things from a godly perspective, if we aren’t intimately familiar with what the Bible teaches. We need to know the Word in order to bring the Word and if we want our help lessen the burden of others through encouragement and truth, we must make studying and memorizing Scripture a top priority.
Know What Would Be Good
Knowing well the goodness of Scripture will surely help us bring good words to heavy hearts. However, we also need to know the people we are talking to and attempt to understand the particulars of a situation to know what would be good at that specific time. For example, knowing that the wages of sin is death is true and biblical (Rm. 3:23), but it may not be the best piece of Scripture to bring forth in the midst of someone’s grief. Scripture tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19) and it is good that we apply this principle in moments where we hope our words will provide some relief. If we are too eager to say our piece, we may neglect to truly consider what is good for the other person at that moment. Just because something is true doesn’t mean that it is the best thing to say in any particular situation. We should speak truth, but all truth is not equally helpful at every time. Slow down and prayerfully consider what, if anything, is the best thing to say to the person whose heart is heavy. Doing so increases the likelihood that the words you speak will uplift, and not further discourage, them.
Be Bold, With Love
The danger in writing that we should be careful to only say what is good for a particular occasion is that someone may interpret this to mean that we should only say things that the worrier wants to hear. However, that is not the case. Our care for the other person should not prevent from speaking what they need to hear, even if it is not what they want to hear. We need to define what is “good” not based on their preferences but based on what God calls good. And sometimes, God may call us to deliver hard truth that is painful in the moment but is ultimately used for good in the life of the person we are speaking to.
This is why it is so important that our motivation for speaking is love. First and foremost, we need to make sure that our love for God motivates us to set aside our own pride so that instead of saying what we want, we say what He wants. Additionally, genuine love for the other person will restrain us from saying true, but unhelpful things, and will compel us to say difficult but beneficial words. Be bold if you need to. But make sure your boldness is rooted in love
Make Others Glad
We all like to be around people who make us glad. It is a blessing to be in the company of those who encourage us, who help to lessen our burdens and who love us enough to speak the truth in love. May we be these kind of people to those who God has placed in our lives. And as we do so, may we help to bring the Truth of Scripture to bear upon every situation we encounter.
